Transmitting member for friction clutches



April 26,1932. E. v. J. TOWER TRANSIITTING MEMBER FOR FRICTION CLUTCHESOriginal Filed Feb. 11. 1922 y INVENTOR 59 l ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 26,1932 Original application filed Febru January 13, 1930.

This invention relates to transmitting members for efiecting thefrictional connec tion between the driving and driven members offriction clutches of the type used in auto- 5 mobiles or other motordriven vehicles, and this application is a division of my copendingapplication Serial No. 167,407, filedFebruary 11, 1927, and entitledFriction clutch. I r

In friction clutches as commonly constructed for automobileinstallation, the fly-wheelof the 'motor is used as the driving memberandis suitably formed with one or "more working surfaces adapted to beengaged by 1 a friction transmitting member mounted upon thetransmission .shaft, which receives power when this member is forcedinto engagement with the working surface or surfaces of the fly-wheel.The friction transmitting member ordinarily consistsof one or more rigidor semi-rigid discs carrying a strip or ring of friction material whichis forced'into tight contact with the surface of the fly-wheel by meansof a spring-actuated 2 Presser-plate controlled by the drivers footpedal or the like.

Inasmuch as automobile clutches are operated under especially severeconditions due to the loads which they must transmit'and 0 alsobecauseof the incessant shocks and jars to which they are subjected inuse, they must be of strong construction so that they willoperatesatisfa'ctorily without slipping or seizing, and can be usedforlong periods without requiring repairvor replacement of parts. Thisconstruction of the clutch parts ,gives them considerable inertia instarting and stopping, which, if not properly :ab

sorbed, causes heavy shocks and chattering,

with eventual damage to the clutchparts, as, well as discomfort to theoccupants of the vehicle. Also, considerable heat is I generated in theclutch due to slipping, and if this heat is not dissipated, damage maybe done-to the clutch;

The principal object of this-invention is to rovide a transmittingmember for friction clutches which acts to absorb shocks and jars p sothat smooth and uniform operation is obfi tamed, and excessive straln onthe engme,

PATENT OFFICE NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO RUSSELL MANIL,

OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- FOR rarc'rron.GLUTGHES a1 No. 167,407. Divided and this application filed Serial No.420,473.

andthe transmission shaft and its associated parts, is eliminated' v Afurther object of this invention is to pro- I vide a flexibletransmitting member which will conform to irregularities in the surfaceof the engaging parts of the clutch and thus compensate for anyfloss infrictional area which may be occasioned by such irregularities, and alsopermit manufacture of the engaging parts without especial accuracy,because the member will conform to any irregularity.

These and other objects of this invention are obtained in a preferredembodiment thereof, which consists of a flexible disc 'structure orspider interposed between the hub upon which the member is adapted to bemounted and the friction ring which engages the driving surfaces of theclutch. This spider is flexible at an angle to the plane of rotation ofthe transmitting member of whiclfit is a part, but is rigid in thisplane of rotation. The new spider comprises sheet metal spokes whose hubends lie in, mutual engagement so as toencircle the hub, and

whose outer ends carry thev friction ring.

Connecting the hub ends of the spokes to the hub are flexible sheetmetal rings or discs, which provide another point of flexibility, andbetween the hub and the hub ends of the spokes is interposed'amass ofnon-metallic material which is a heat insulator for the that freecirculation of air is permitted, and a the frictional heat is thusdissipated.

For a better understanding of this invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a face view of. the frictiontransmitting member of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken thereof along the line 22 of Fig.1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged portion of the section v of Fig. .2 illustratingthe arrangement ofthey arts at the hub in greater detail.

In these drawings, numeral 10 designates the friction ring, which may beformed of any suitable. material such as fibre, webbing,

or the like, and which-is mounted upon the.

thereby each spoke supports and is supported laterally by the nextadjacent spokes. The hub ends of the spokes 11 are clamped betweenflexible washers 12 by means of bolts 13 or rivets. Between the hub endsof the spokes and the hub 14 and also clamped be.- tween washers 12, isplaced a heat insulating washer -15 of asbestos, fibre, or'the like. Aflange 16 is provided upon hub 14 between which and a separate collar 17is clamped this assembly of washers 12 and insulating washer 15 by meansof bolts 18 or rivets. It will be noted that the disc structure made upin this instance of separate spokes is attached to the washers 12 byrivets or bolts 13 which do not engage the hub, and the washers 12 areconnected to the hub by entirelyseparate connecting means in the form ofrivets or bolts 18. The hub 14 is provided, as shown with splines bywhich it is operatively connected to the driven shaft in the usualmanner.

By this arrangement, hub 14 maybe made light and strong, the necessarystrength" being supplied by flange 16 and collar 17, while thearrangement of the flexible washers 12-- and insulating washer 15provides one point offlexibility, and the arrangement of flexiblewashers 12 and a disc structure 11 provides another'point offlexibility, wh1le further flexibility is secured due to the light construction of the spokes 11. Spokes 11 are interchangeable and are shapedso that they may be reversely cut from a sheet .of stock without waste.This flexible spider connection between the rigidly mounted hub 14 andthe friction ring 11 also compensates for ifregularities between thefriction surfaces of the clutch by bending slightly wherenecessary,

The ring 15, being of heat-insulating material, protects the hub againstheat developed at the friction surface and transmitted through thespokes; It also serves to centralize' the spokes with reference to thehub, simplifying. assembling operations by acting as a template againstwhich the hub ends of the spokes may, be'placed without furtheralignment since the edges thereof engage.

each other toform a completering encircling the insulating ringl It willbe noted that the spokes are of increasing width as the hub end isapproached and this arrangement provides greater heat radiating surface.In addition, at the hub' endeach spoke is braced against the adja-.

cent spoke and in firm contact with ring 15,

' ":so that a strong construction is obtained and strains aretransmitted evenly. The openings between adjacent spokes permit-a1?cirmum flexibility at very low cost, all of the parts used being capableof quantity production at lowcost. These parts can be assembled into aunit by labor not highly skilled as no fine adjustments of the parts arerequired. Dueto the unusual flexibility afforded by the new member,vibration is dampened and permanent. distortion which so frequentlyoccurs in ordinary clutches, requiring replacement of parts, isvirtually eliminated.

The new transmitting member of this invention is adapted to be usedinthe manner illustrated and described in greater detail in myaforementioned copending application,- of which this application is adivision, but its field of use is not limited thereby, nor is itsconstruction limited by that illustrated and described herein, but issusceptible of many changes in form and detail within the scope of thisinvention.

I claim:

1. A transmitting" member for friction clutches, comprisinga frictionring, a pluralit of individual spokes attached thereto, a hu and aflexible connection between the spokes and the hub.

2. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ringoffriction material, a hub adaptedv to be mounted on a shaft,individual, substantially radial flexible spokes extending from saidring toward the hub, and a pair of'rings connected to the hub and to thehub ends of the spokes, said rings engaging opposite faces of saidspokes.

3. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ring offriction material, a hub adapted to be mounted on a shaft, flexiblemembers mounted in the hub, and spokes connecting the ring withthemembers.

- 4. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ring offriction material, a hub adapted to be mounted on a shaft, flexiblespokes attached to the ring, and flexible connecting membersjoining thespokes to the hub.5

5. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ringoffriction material, a hub adapted to be mounted on a shaft, a pluralityof independent spokes attached to the ring, and non-rigid connectionsbetween the spokes and the hub.

6. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ring offriction mate-' I the hub, and a non-metallic member interposed. betweenthe hub and the hub ends of the spokes.

7. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ring offriction material, a hub adapted to be mounted on a shaft, individual,substantia lly radial spokes connected to the ring, the hub ends of saidspokes being shaped so as to jointly encircle the hub,

' and means connecting the hub ends of the spokes to the hub, said meansengaging opposite faces of said spokes and maintaining the hub ends ofsaid spokes in a plane.

8. A transmitting member for friction clutches,comprising a ring offriction material, a hub adapted to be mounted on a shaft,

spokes connected to the ring, the hub ends ofsaid spokes being formed sothat they to'-.

gether encircle the hub, and are spaced therefrom, and yieldablematerial disposed in the space between the hub ends of the spokes andthe hub.

9. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ring offriction material, a hub adapted to be mounted on a shaft, spokesconnected to the ring, the hub ends of said spokes encircling the huband being spaced therefrom means connecting the hub ends of the spokesto the hub, and yieldable material disposed between the hub ends of thespokes and the hub, the said material being held in place by the saidmeans.

10. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a frictionring, a hub adapted to be mountedon a shaft, flexible spokes connectedto the ring, washers mounting the spokes to the hub, and yieldablematerial held in place by the washers and separat- V ing the hubends ofthe spokes from the hub.

11. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a frictionring, a hub adapted to be mounted on a shaft, spokes connected to thering, flexible avashers mounting the spokes on the hub, and yieldablematerial enclosed by the washers and separating the hub ends of thespokes from the hub.

12.,A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a frictionring, a hub adapted to be mounted on a shaft, flexible spokes connectedto the ring, flexible Washers mounting the spokes on the hub, andyieldable material enclosed by the washers so as to separate the hubends of the spokes from the hub.

13. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising africtionelement, a

hub, a pluralityof independent, substantially radial, flexible spokesconnected in a comhub and maintaining the spokes in said plane. i

14. In a transmittin member for friction clutches, a mounting t ereforcomprising a plurality of independent, substantially radial, membersflexible in a direction at an angle to the surface ofthe transmittingmember, a hub, and connections between the members and thehub in acommon plane, the inner ends of said members being spaced a substantialdistance from the surface of the hub.

15. In a transmitting member for frietion clutches a hub, and means formounting the member on the hub comprising a plurality of independent,substantially radial, members flexible about an axis parallel to theplane of the transmitting member, said members terminating a substantialdistance from said hub, and flexible means overlapping said members anda portion of said hub and connected to the members and to the hub.

16. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a frictionring, a hub having a circumferential flange, a plurality of individual,substantially radial spokes secured to the ring, the opposite ends ofthe spokes co-acting to form a substantially continuous ring encirclingthe hub, the hub ends -means at the hub for securing the spokes thereto,this means being arranged to absorb vibration.

' 18. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a frictionring, a hub having an integral flange, a plurality of independent spokesconnected to the hub and providing a mounting for the ring, and a collaron the hub connected to the spokes and to the flange.

19. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a frictionring, a hub, a plurality of spokes connected to the hub and the ring,and heat-insulating means disposed lbeitween the hub ends of the spokesand the -20. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising afriction ring, a hub, a plurality of independent substantially radialspokes connecting the hub and the ring, the sides of the hub end of eachspoke being in contact with the sides of the hub end of an adjacentspoke and the inner ends of the spokes being spaced a substantialdistance from said hub, and means for connecting the spokes to the hub.

21. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising africtionring, a hub, a plurality of spokes connecting the hub and ring, flexiblemeans connecting the hub ends Ill! of the spokes and the hub.-

'22. A transmitting member for friction 5 clutches, comprising africtionring,'ahub,and

a structure consisting of a lurality of .individual, substantiallyradial spokes connect+ ing the hub and the ring, the hub ends ofadjacent spokes engaging each other laterally 1 in the plane ofthespokes to impart lateral rigidity to said structure in said plane,said hub ends of the spokes terminating a substantial distance from thehub, and heatinsulating material between said ends and 1 the hub.

23. A friction element for use in a clutch, comprising a hub providedwith a flange, a pair of spaced washers attached to the flange,heat-insulating material between the washers and in engagement with thehub, a plurality of individual spokes secured to the washers, the endsof the spokes between the said washers bearing againstcthe insulatingmaterial, and a friction member secured to the free ends of the spokes.

24..A transmitting member comprising a hub, a ring extending at rightangles to the axis of the hub, a friction disc, a plurality ofspokesconnected thereto, a connection be- A tween the ring and the endsof the spokes,

and a connection between said ring and the hub, said connectionsproviding a flexible mounting for the disc on thehub.

25. A transmitting member for friction ,5 clutches comprising a ring offriction material, ahub, means for connecting the ring to the hub,andheat-msulatlng material 1n sald connecting means.

26.-A transmitting member for friction ,49 clutches, comprising a ringof friction material,"a flexible spoked disc mounting said ring, ahubhaving an integral flange, and a plurality of flexible rings secured attheir peripheries to the disc and hub flange. 27. A. transmitting memberfor friction clutches, comprising a ringof friction ma terialya flexiblespider mounting said ring, a hub having a flange, rings secured at theirouter edges to opposite sides of the spider, and means securing theinner edges of said rings to the hub flange. 7

28. A transmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ringofifriction material, a flexible spider mountingsaid ring, a hub havinga flange, a ring secured at its outer edgeto said spider, and a collarsecuring the inneredgeof said ring to said hub flange. 29. Atransmitting member for friction clutches, comprising a ring of frictionmaterial, a hub having a flange, a disc mounting for \said ring, havinga central opening greater than the diameter of the flange, rings mountedin pairs on opposite sides of said disc adjacent the opening, andseparate meansfor connecting said rings to said disc and to said flange.

30.- A transmitting member for use in friction clutches which comprisesa hub, a disc structure, a circumferential flange on the hub, said discstructure having an opening at least suflicient to permit the passage ofthe flange through it, a pair of washers one lying against each face ofthe disc structure adjacent said opening, said washers overlapping saidflange, means connectng said washers to the disc structure. beyond theouter edge of said flange, means passing through the washers and flangefor connecting the washers to the flange, and a friction mat mounted onsaid disc structure at a distance from said hub.

31. A transmitting member for use in friction clutches which comprises afriction mat,

a supporting member having spaced portions at its periphery on whichsaid mat is mounted, a hub having a flange, 'said supporting memberhaving a central openingin which the hub is mountedwith the ends thereofpro- 'jecting out beyond the member on opposite sides, a pair ofwashers, one lying against each face of the supporting member adjacentsaid opening, said washers overlapping said flange, means received inopenings in said washers and supporting member for connecting theWashers to the supporting member, 4 said connection lying spacedoutwardly beyond said flange, and means passing through the washers andflange for connecting the washers to the flange.

32. A transmitting member for use in friction clutches which comprises afriction mat, a, supporting member for the mat, said mem-' her having acentral opening, a hub having a flange, the overall diameter of thehub'and 105 flange being less than the diameter of the central openingin the supporting member,

apair of washers, one lying against each .face of the supporting memberadj acent the opening and projecting beyond the edge of the opening tooverlap said flange, connecting elements passing through openings in thewashers and the supporting member and lying-in a circular row beyond theouter edge of the flange, .and connecting elements arranged in acircular row and pasing through openingsin the flange and throughopenings in the portions of the, washers which over lap said flange.

33. In a transmitting member for use in friction clutches, thecombination of a hub having a circumferential flange, a supportingmember extending outward from said hub, a friction'element mounted onthe supporting member, at least the major portion of said elementlyinginward from the outer edge of said inember and in contact with theopposite outer faces thereof, at least one washer overlapping thesupporting niember closely adjacentthe outer edge of said flange andalso overlapping said flange, means rigidly connecting the washer to thesupporting member, said means lying beyond t e outer edge of saidflange, and means passing through the flange and the portion of thewasher overlapping the latter for connecting the washer to the flange.

34. A transmitting member for use in friction clutches comprising thecombination of a hub having a circumferential flange, a supflange andhaving an outer diameter substantially the same as the overall diameterof said transmitting member, a friction element mounted on saidsupporting member with the 'ma or portion thereof lying mward from theouter edge of said supporting member and in contact with the oppositeouter faces thereof. at least one washer overlapping .the supportingmember closely adjacent the outer edge of said flange and a overlappingsaid flange, a plurality of means rigidly connecting the washer to thesupporting member, said means lying slightly beyond the outer edge ofsaid flange, and means passing through the flange and the ortion of thewasher overlapping the latter or connecting the washer to the flange.

'In testimony whereof I aflix my'signature.

ELDER V. J. TOWER.

